Roasted Pepper Tortellini

I like to try a new recipe at least once per week.  Not all of them are good enough to be blog worthy, but this dish is good enough to share.

I tend to think of meals that are cooked solely on the top of the stove as dishes that can be prepared on hot days, as the kitchen doesn't get over heated as it does when using the oven.  I was surprised, then, to find this in my December/January 2013 issue of Taste of Home.  Three of us ate this dish fresh and the other one ate it as leftovers the next day.  The fresh consumers gave this dish 9's and the leftover guy gave it an 8 on the Melnarik rating scale.

I began by placing the roasted red peppers in a colander to drain.  I also started heating some water in a medium pot on the stove to bring it to a boil to cook the tortellini.

Then, in a large, deep skillet (it has to have room for the cooked tortellini later) I browned the Italian sausage and chopped onions over medium heat.  Once the meat was no longer pink, I drained off the excess fat.

After the sausage started cooking and the peppers were fully drained, I placed the peppers in a food processor fitted with the blade and ran it until smooth.

Once the water came to a boil, I added the tortellini and cooked them according to the package directions.

To the sausage and onions I added the processed red peppers and the pizza sauce, mixing thoroughly.

I then added the cooked tortellini to the skillet, tossing gently to combine.

Once everything was combined nicely, I added some shredded mozzarella cheese and put a lid on the pan to let the cheese melt.

The flavor of the roasted bell peppers is what really makes this dish shine and gives it more of an unique flavor than a standard marinara sauce.  Enjoy!

Roasted Pepper Tortellini

1 package (20 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (14 oz.) jar roasted sweet red peppers

1 (15 oz.) jar pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain red peppers; process in a food processor until smooth.  In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add processed peppers, pizza sauce and the drained tortellini to the skillet; stir and heat through.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Crock Pot Cheesy Italian Tortellini

More often than not, I use my crock pot when I won't be home to eat dinner with my family, or we're eating at different times.  When I made this meal recently, I was not going to be home.  The majority of the dish is placed in the crock pot hours before serving, the only thing my guys had to do was add the tortellini about 15 minutes before serving and then top each dish with the mozzarella cheese I had already shredded for them.  I also requested they take pictures of the last few steps for this blog.  Jimmy handled these tasks for me and did a fine job; thank you, Jimmy!

I found this recipe in one of those magazines that are sold near the checkout stand at the market many years ago.  The recipe says it yields 4 to 6 servings, but my guys ate every last drop with no leftovers and there are only 3 of them!  This time, this dish got one 7, one 8 and one 9 on the Melnarik rating scale.  The person (who shall remain nameless!) who gave the 7 said it was a little heavy on the tomato taste for him.  I didn't tell him I used a different brand of marinara sauce this time.  Perhaps that lowered his rating from the 8 it used to be.

I begin by putting the Italian sausage in a large saucepan and cook it over medium heat until browned.  As it cooks, I keep turning the mean and breaking it up with my spoon.

Once the sausage is fully cooked, I drain off any fat and place it in my pre-heated crock pot.  Hint:  Hot foods should always be placed in a pre-heated crock pot and cold foods in a cool crock pot to heat together.

To the sausage, I add the marinara sauce, fresh mushrooms, and canned tomatoes.

Those ingredients get stirred together to combine.  The crock pot gets covered and the dish is cooked on low for 7 to 8 hours.  Hint:  For most recipes, if you need to lessen the amount of time for cooking, placing your crock pot on the high heat setting will cut the cooking time in half.  For example, a dish cooked on low for 8 hours can be cooked on high for 4 hours.  In this case, by the time everything was in the crock pot, there was only 5 hours before dinner time, so I cooked it on high for 2 hours (which equalled 4 hours on low) followed by 3 hours on low, which gave me the same result as 7 hours on the low setting.

This is how it looks after the full cooking time.  

About 15 minutes before serving, the refrigerated tortellini is added.

The tortellini gets stirred into the sauce, the lid is placed back on the crock pot, and it is cooked for an additional 15 minutes.  This is the perfect amount of time to throw together a quick salad and/or garlic bread!

I find this dish is best served in a bowl, and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese .  As you can see from the picture above, my guys really like cheese!  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Cheesy Italian Tortellini

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 container (15 oz.) refrigerated marinara sauce

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained

1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

Cook sausage in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.  Add sausage to pre-heated 4- to 5-quart crock pot.   Add marinara sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes; stir to combine.  Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.  Stir in tortellini; cover and cook on low heat setting about 15 minutes longer or until tortellini is tender.  Top each serving with mozzarella cheese.

Italian Seasoned Super Sub

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a recipe for the sandwich my oldest son calls "The Holy Spirit Sandwich" (see Turkey Club Sandwich with Avocado Aioli).  Before I introduced him to that sandwich, this one was his favorite and he named it "The Jesus Sandwich" because it's that good!

I've been making this sandwich so many years that I don't remember where I found the recipe and the original copy has disappeared.  Luckily, I had typed it up for someone, so I had it saved in my computer.  This is one of my personal favorite sandwiches that I make and feel that the bread is what helps put this one at the top of my list.  This sandwich gets all 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

For some reason, the pictures of the process of preparing the bread disappeared from my camera, so there is only the finished loaf pictured above.  It's a fairly easy process which begins by spraying a nonstick cooking spray on a baking sheet.  Then the bread dough is removed from the can and placed seam side down on the sprayed baking sheet.  Using a serrated knife, I cut 5 diagonal slices in the top of the loaf (they can be seen in the picture above), which allows for expansion as the bread bakes.  I then spray the top with additional nonstick cooking spray and in a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic salt.  This mixture gets sprinkled on top of the loaf and it gets baked at 350°F for about 30 minutes.  It needs to be completely cool before assembling the sandwich.  When it's really hot outside, I bake the bread in the morning and once it's cooled completely, I wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out until I'm ready to assemble the sandwich in the evening.

Once cool, I cut the loaf in half horizontally.  The assembly begins by spreading the creamy Italian salad dressing on both halves of the bread.  When I couldn't find creamy Italian salad dressing in the market, I would make a mixture of mayonnaise and regular Italian salad dressing, which gave me the same result.

Then I begin layering the fillings.  I begin with the swiss cheese, overlapping so the cheese is in every bite.  I also think the tips that hang over the edge help give the sandwich a stuffed full of goodness look when it is completed.

The next layer is deli thin slices of ham.

This is followed by the bell pepper rings.  I overlap them also for the best coverage.

I angle and overlap the cheddar cheese slices as I did with the Swiss cheese.  I use the sharp cheddar cheese as I think it has more flavor.

Next is the Italian dry salami, where again I overlap each slice.

The sliced tomato goes on next.  I like to use the Roma tomatoes on this sandwich, but you can use any kind.

To make this sandwich faster to assemble, I use the prepackaged shredded lettuce on top.

I put the top half of the loaf on top and it's ready to cut and serve.  It even looks good from an aerial point of view!

Does this sandwich look like it's packed full of goodness, or what?  

I cut this sandwich into four equal pieces for my family.  I didn't measure them, but I'd say each piece is somewhere between 4 and 5 inches long.  I think this sandwich not only rivals but beats any sandwich you can buy at Subway or Jersey Mike's!  Enjoy!

Italian Seasoned Super Sub

BREAD

Nonstick cooking spray

1 (11 oz.) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf

2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

FILLING

3 tablespoons purchased creamy Italian salad dressing

5 slices Swiss cheese

¼ lb. thinly sliced cooked ham

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into rings

5 slices cheddar cheese

¼ lb. sliced Italian dry salami

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 cup shredded lettuce

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove dough from can; place seam side down on baking sheet.  With sharp or serrated knife, cut 5 (1/4-inch deep) diagonal slices on top of dough.  Spray dough with nonstick cooking spray.  In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and oregano; mix well.  Sprinkle on top of bread dough.  Bake at 350°F for 26 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool 20 minutes or until completely cooled.

Cut bread in half lengthwise.  Brush cut sides of bread with salad dressing.  Layer bottom half with Swiss cheese, ham, bell pepper, cheddar cheese, salami, tomato and lettuce.  Cover with top half of bread.  Cut into 4 pieces.

Baked Mostaccioli, Leon Salad & Bubble Loaf

For as many years as I can remember, when a birthday was coming up for one of my guys, I gave them the choice of me making one of their favorite meals or going out to dinner on their special day.  When the boys were younger, they always picked something they loved that I made.  In, I'd say, the past 5 years or so, they all have opted for going out to a sit-down restaurant.  We don't go to restaurants with servers very often, so it was always a nice treat and a good way to try new restaurants in our area.  My husband just celebrated his birthday, and I gave him the normal options expecting him to choose to go out to dinner.  I was extremely surprised when he asked if I'd mind cooking and proceeded to tell me exactly what he would like.  He chose Baked Mostaccioli, Leon Salad, and Bubble Loaf.  As much as I was looking forward to a night out, it was such a compliment for him to choose my cooking over restaurant fare!

My twin sister, Mary Gage, gave me this recipe for Baked Mostaccioli and it has been a family favorite for years.  This is one of my go-to recipes when I'm cooking for a family with a new baby, or where someone's had surgery, etc.  The original recipe called for ground beef only, but I kicked it up with 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 Italian sausage.  This recipe makes quite a bit as it sits higher than the top edge of my 9x13-inch dish.  It's hearty and quite flavorful.

Leon Salad is the perfect pairing with any Italian-style dish.  The actual salad doesn't have many ingredients, but the homemade dressing is what makes this special.  I asked Marcia Wrobbel for this recipe after tasting it at a work potluck over 30 years ago.  At that point, I still lived with my parents and had never gone grocery shopping.  I quickly learned that there is lettuce other than the "head lettuce" (iceberg) which we always used.  Also, one of the ingredients in the dressing is Parmesan cheese.  At that time the only Parmesan I was aware of came in a green can!  I was so excited to make this salad for my family, I did so the next time my mother made an Italian dish.  I had to confess to Marcia that it was awful, as it seemed as though there was sand in the salad.  She asked if I had used the "green can Parmesan."  After admitting that I had, she told me that Parmesan cheese is sold in a wedge, and was kind enough to tell me how to grate it properly on the bumpy side of the box grater!  Our family has never gone back to the green can!  I've served this salad many times throughout the years including for large functions.  The key here is to toss the salad with the dressing just prior to serving so the lettuce doesn't wilt.  It is best when tossed with the dressing, but I've also served the dressing on the side.

Bubble Loaf is another recipe that my sister, Mary, turned me on to.  She found it in the Apr./May '97 Taste of Home magazine.  It's super easy to make, you just have to allow enough time for the frozen bread dough to defrost and then after adding the herbs, it needs to rise before baking.  It is sooo worth it! My youngest son actually asked me to make 2 loaves for this meal!

These three recipes combined make for an Italian meal that won't soon be forgotten.  Enjoy!

Baked Mostaccioli

8 oz.mostaccioli                                        1 (4 oz.) mushroom pieces

1 lb. ground beef                                     ½ cup water

1 lb. Italian sausage                                1 tsp. salt

1 med. onion, chopped                             1 tsp. sugar

1 sm. green bell pepper, diced                 1 tsp. crushed dried basil

1 clove garlic, minced                              ¼ tsp. pepper

1 (28oz.) can diced tomatoes                   1 large bay leaf

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce                       16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 (6 oz.) cantomato paste                         ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, cook mostaccioli in a large amount of boiling water according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, Italian sausage, onion bell pepper, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender.  Drain off fat.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, undrained mushrooms, water, salt, sugar, basil, pepper and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in cooked mostaccioli.  Place half of this mixture into a 9x13-inch or 3-quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle 2/3 of the mozzarella cheese on top; add the remaining meat mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until heated through.  Remove foil; sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Leon Salad

Salad

            2  bunches romaine lettuce, finely torn

            1/4 lb. Italian salami, cut julienne

            1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded

            1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained

Dressing

            1/2 cup vegetable oil

            4 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

            2 tsp. dry mustard

            1 tsp. salt

            1 tsp. pepper

            1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (not Kraft in the green can!)

In a large bowl, toss all salad ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients*.  Pour dressing over salad and toss.  Serve immediately.

Helpful hint:

I use a Tupperware shaker cup to mix the dressing ingredients.  Then if I’m taking this recipe to a party, I take the salad fixings in a large Tupperware bowl and the dressing in the shaker cup.  Just before serving I shake the dressing, add to the salad and toss.

Bubble Loaf

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1-1 lb. loaf frozen bread dough, defrosted  (I use Bridgford brand)

In a very small bowl, combine seasonings with butter.  Pull off 1/2-inch ball size pieces of dough, dip in butter/herb mixture and place in a loaf pan.  Set in a warm place for 45 minutes or until loaf doubles in size.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 min. or until golden brown.  Invert on a plate to serve.